This Salvation Army Volunteer Lost His Sight But Not His Will To Give

How many people wake up, open their eyes, and go about their day without ever giving thought to their ability to see?

For Samir Aseme this is no longer the case. Fully blind for two-and-a-half years now, Samir, who is working with The Salvation Army for his second straight year, still finds himself struggling with his new reality.

“There is no powering through,” he says. “You have to wake up to this every day. When you are dealing with the loss of a loved one or your own faculties, you must face it daily.”

Face it he did. Samir’s independent streak didn’t let him rely solely on others for long. Pushing himself, he began to relearn skills he’d once taken for granted, and before long he could cook again and use the computer on his own.

“God doesn’t give you more than you can handle,” Samir states, reflecting on his journey. A journey that The Salvation Army is proud to be a part of.

Samir first joined the Army of Givers as a way to push himself out his comfort zone.

“When the opportunity to work with The Salvation Army came along, I said ‘alright, maybe this will force me to weather the storm of being in public without having someone with me,’” recalls Samir. “I would be there for eight hours and have to face people, along with whatever else may come up.”

Since that time, Samir has grown to love the meaningful work he gets to be a part of. “We are helping those in need,” he says, “I like that I get to be a part of an organization that is faced with difficult decisions daily, but still manages to do the right and proper thing.”

A case study overcoming adversity, Samir’s story is a reminder to us all that we make a life not out of what we get, but out of what we give.

If you want to give like Samir, consider contacting your local Salvation Army to cover a kettle shift over these last few days of Christmas, or donate by giving to a kettle in a retail store near you, calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or donating online at SalvationArmy.ca/donate

Every little bit makes a difference to friends and neighbors in need.